Exhibits

Exhibits are held year-round in the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, located on the fourth floor of the Humanities, Social Science and Education Library in Stewart Center.

Exhibition on Display

January 20 – June 26, 2026: “Forms and Functions: A Selection of Materials within Purdue University Archives and Special Collections”

About the exhibit

Purdue University Archives and Special Collections is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition, “Forms and Functions: A Selection of Materials within Purdue University Archives and Special Collections.” The exhibition celebrates the diverse kinds of primary source materials that can be found in an archive. By showcasing different types of objects, the exhibition shows how archives use form and genre terms to describe materials consistently, while also answering questions like, “Wait, what’s a floppy disk?”

This exhibition, co-curated by an archivist and student employees, hosts an incredible lineup of original items from notable figures in Purdue’s history, including John Purdue, Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, Nobel Prize recipient Herbert Brown, Orville Redenbacher, illustrators Harold Gray (creator of Little Orphan Annie) and George Wildman (illustrator for Popeye comics), and more.

Online Exhibits

Through internal and external partnerships Archives and Special Collections has created or provided materials for digital exhibitions highlighting the scope, content, and varied nature of our collections. Visit the online exhibits listed below to explore a part of Purdue history.

Flight and Space

Indiana History

Purdue History

Purdue Alumni

Women’s Archives

Collaborative Partnerships